What would be the best way to get through customs at an airport with your Btc?

[Synchronice]

I totally agree.

If you have something inside your brain there are literally numerous ways to lose it.

1. Just forget it
2. Die
3. Severe brain damage
4. Dementia
5. Getting hit on the head
6. Car accident

Neve rely on memory!

Are you sure that if you get a serious brain damage, develop rapid dementia, will get hit on the head like Prichard Colon or will be in car accident, then it doesn't matter whether you have wrote down your seed phrases or have remembered it, you'll forget it anyways.
If you got such a traumatic event in your life, then you'll forget that you have coins and in the best case, you'll forget where you have stored your seed phrases. So, that's a very weak argument against remembering of seed phrases and doesn't make writing down method superior. Your coins are lost in both way!

Using encrypted disk and other mobile storage device would have been better but if an traveling airport agent can check your mobile phone apps then they can equally check those devices in their computers to know the kind of softwares and files in your disk or memory cards. Therefore the best way from my opinion, it better you save the seed phrase in a zipfolder and save it in your googledrive or in your Gmail and when you have reached your destination then you extract it write it down and use it to open the Bitcoin wallet and delete it from the GDrive.

First of all, I think that it's very unlikely from customs to inspect your computer and even if they decide to inspect, then how is encrypted disk space going to protect you? They'll force you to decrypt it or will seize your hardware.
Saving something on Google Drive is never a good idea.

[apogio]

If you got such a traumatic event in your life, then you'll forget that you have coins and in the best case, you'll forget where you have stored your seed phrases. So, that's a very weak argument against remembering of seed phrases and doesn't make writing down method superior. Your coins are lost in both way!

Memory is like RAM, whereas any storage medium is like an HDD.

If you have it stored in memory, you have no chance of recovering it if the memory fails.

If you have it stored in some physical medium, then there are some chances to restore it:
1. You may find it somewhere by luck.
2. A very close relative who knows that you own bitcoin can remind you this fact and help you relocate the backup.

So yeah, in all of the cases mentioned above, you are in a very bad situation.

But in the first scenario, chances are 0%. So, anything higher than 0%, sorry but I will take it! You can of course keep it in your memory if you feel safe with it!

[Synchronice]

Memory is like RAM, whereas any storage medium is like an HDD.

Exactly! Memory is like a RAM but in real life, how do you store information from RAM to SSD (You get downgraded to HDD when you become old )? You repeat the information over and over again and then it gets imprinted in your memory.

If you have it stored in memory, you have no chance of recovering it if the memory fails.

If you have it stored in some physical medium, then there are some chances to restore it:
1. You may find it somewhere by luck.
2. A very close relative who knows that you own bitcoin can remind you this fact and help you relocate the backup.

So yeah, in all of the cases mentioned above, you are in a very bad situation.

But in the first scenario, chances are 0%. So, anything higher than 0%, sorry but I will take it! You can of course keep it in your memory if you feel safe with it!

I think we agree that you should save seed phrase in a very safe place, right? So if memory fails, then you won't find it and even if you find it, you'll most likely ignore it because your failed memory thinks it's some shit written on paper.
2. Should we tell our close relatives that we own Bitcoin? I think, that's not a good idea.

By the way, in this case we talk about one day. OP wants to move in another country without losing access to his coins. He can train for weeks to remember his 12 word seed phrases and once he goes in another country and settles down, he can recover his wallet and then keeps seed phrases written down and saved somewhere safer.

[Ambatman]

He can train for weeks to remember his 12 word seed phrases and once he goes in another country and settles down, he can recover his wallet and then keeps seed phrases written down and saved somewhere safer.

I learnt it the hard way
Never fully trust your Brain.

There are various ways and many has been stated here the easy the complex
To add to the list, you can write it on different part of your body.
They ain't going to tell you to off your underwear right?


Write it on a book of songs(hand written) and input it in their lyrics.
Is possible to write a kids story with your seedphrase.
At part from kids haters, who doesnt love kids.

[Forsyth Jones]

-

We don't need to rely 100% on memory, just follow the normal security checkups like storing the seed phrase in safe places (preferably, I prefer to encrypt them either with BIP-85 or Seed-Otp) and memorizing the seed phrase as an extra way, you don't need to delete the physical backups you have made.

I can memorize a 12-word seed phrase in less than a day using spaced repetition: first I memorize the first 6 words and then the last 6 words and then I try to repeat them (not out loud, but mentally, without emitting voices when I am near electronic devices with radio or Wifi signal) all 12.

If one day I forget, I can retrieve them from my physical backups that I have spread them out. But for an international trip that can last at most 1 or 2 weeks I never forget, ever!

[Cricktor]

I think I wrote this already. If you memorize something important, you need to recall it on a regular basis and check if you still remember it correctly. For this check you will always need a reliable backup for verification.

Once you have learned 12 or 24 recovery words, you can't stop recalling them. At first you may recall them once or multiple times a day, later maybe only once a day and then prolong the recall period to maybe once in a few days. Simply don't stop recalling and verifying.

This should work for everybody who is mentally stable and has no brain health issues. Avoid getting heavily drunk, though!

[JohanM]

First of all, I think that it's very unlikely from customs to inspect your computer and even if they decide to inspect, then how is encrypted disk space going to protect you? They'll force you to decrypt it or will seize your hardware.
Saving something on Google Drive is never a good idea.

That's why you use encrypted disk/files with hidden partitions (like VeraCrypt can do). If forced to decrypt you just give the standard password which decrypts to some wallet with only minimal value in it. The hidden partition is impossible to detect/prove and only accessible with the correct second password. When they seize your hardware you still have dozens of backups at home, online, whatever in the same encrypted container.

[Reatim]

Are you sure that if you get a serious brain damage, develop rapid dementia, will get hit on the head like Prichard Colon or will be in car accident, then it doesn't matter whether you have wrote down your seed phrases or have remembered it, you'll forget it anyways.

Maybe you should have a safe person where you have said to check a specific place where you can show them that you indeed have bitcoin and ways to access it. It should be someone you trust of course which would be difficult to find for sure but legality needs to come in here so that you can make sure that that trusted person will only access the funds when you have been injured.

Saving something on Google Drive is never a good idea.

Definitely not. I have seen way too many google accounts being compromised for me to trust them enough to store anything sensitive. Not to mention that google is way too centralized for my liking. They use our information for algorithm so I won’t be too surprised about what else they can share and use.

[apogio]

That's why you use encrypted disk/files with hidden partitions (like VeraCrypt can do). If forced to decrypt you just give the standard password which decrypts to some wallet with only minimal value in it. The hidden partition is impossible to detect/prove and only accessible with the correct second password. When they seize your hardware you still have dozens of backups at home, online, whatever in the same encrypted container.

The "correct" second password mustn't be brute-forced, correct?
Which means it must be a complex one.
Which also means it must be stored somewhere, because otherwise you risk forgetting it.
So you must take the password with you, along with your encrypted disk.
There are significant chances that they will manage to retrieve the password from you and then, they have their ways to make you admit that you have a secret partition.


I 've read all the answers and there are some very fancy ideas, like the t-shirt one.
But! I strongly believe that the best idea is to bring 2-3 books with you and write the 12 words in random pages in these books.

[Synchronice]

Maybe you should have a safe person where you have said to check a specific place where you can show them that you indeed have bitcoin and ways to access it. It should be someone you trust of course which would be difficult to find for sure but legality needs to come in here so that you can make sure that that trusted person will only access the funds when you have been injured.

Seriously, we are talking about cold wallet. If you tell a safe person about your secret keys, then you are doing by far the worst job for your asset's safety. The whole purpose of cold wallet is that it's a wallet that only you can access. If someone knows keys or the place where you hide keys, then doesn't matter, it's not a safe wallet anymore because no one knows what another person will do with it. Yes, you might trust your friend but it's far riskier than depending on your own memory.

Saving something on Google Drive is never a good idea.

Definitely not. I have seen way too many google accounts being compromised for me to trust them enough to store anything sensitive. Not to mention that google is way too centralized for my liking. They use our information for algorithm so I won’t be too surprised about what else they can share and use.

It's not only about compromised accounts. Cloud is someone else's computer, right? So by making yourself dependent on Cloud Service, you depend on 3rd party. There is a chance that Google will have an accident and lose some of your data that you stored on Gdrive.

[HajiBagi]

I really don't see any problem with paper wallets, hot/cold wallet on a phone, a seedphrase on a USD stick. I'm not sure where you're from, and I never seen this happening, so I really can't imagine them going through your phone apps. Is that even legal? Also, is this even something you have to do? I mean declaring your bitcoin holdings regardless of the amount?

Well, in the EU you must declare everything over 10.000€.

I would say that in general it is not legal for them to go though your apps but I have seen border control programs where it does seem mandatory, or at least they can make it more difficult for you to enter the country or hold you if you don't cooperate.

I was thinking hypothetically.

You are right about that they will make it difficult for you to enter the country if you don't cooperate because they must make sure everything is safe both what is coming to the country and what is going out of the country but if we take look at it very well, checking on someone app is not their duty, I don't hold something valuable of BTC in your app is illegal unless the agent wants to collect a bribe with you and start doing some unnecessary searching, nothing can be hidden in the wallet if not a coin, any agent who asks for your phone and wants to check your wallet is not an agent, he is a criminal or he is a thief because I don't know what they looking for in someone private saved, but it depends on the country you are living or the kind of agents the rules guide your country.

The best way to be safe with the agent even when they enter your phone and would not find anything is to save your seed phrase somewhere else, if you have someone you trust like your dad or mom you can write it and send it to them as a message and also send your coin to someone who you trust after you have passed the agent checkpoints or getting to another country the person can send you your coin and you can also go through the message you send to who you trust and get your seed phrase to be able to have access to your wallet without any stress.

[JayJuanGee]

I really don't see any problem with paper wallets, hot/cold wallet on a phone, a seedphrase on a USD stick. I'm not sure where you're from, and I never seen this happening, so I really can't imagine them going through your phone apps. Is that even legal? Also, is this even something you have to do? I mean declaring your bitcoin holdings regardless of the amount?

Well, in the EU you must declare everything over 10.000€.

I would say that in general it is not legal for them to go though your apps but I have seen border control programs where it does seem mandatory, or at least they can make it more difficult for you to enter the country or hold you if you don't cooperate.

I was thinking hypothetically.

You are right about that they will make it difficult for you to enter the country if you don't cooperate because they must make sure everything is safe both what is coming to the country and what is going out of the country but if we take look at it very well, checking on someone app is not their duty, I don't hold something valuable of BTC in your app is illegal unless the agent wants to collect a bribe with you and start doing some unnecessary searching, nothing can be hidden in the wallet if not a coin, any agent who asks for your phone and wants to check your wallet is not an agent, he is a criminal or he is a thief because I don't know what they looking for in someone private saved, but it depends on the country you are living or the kind of agents the rules guide your country.

The best way to be safe with the agent even when they enter your phone and would not find anything is to save your seed phrase somewhere else, if you have someone you trust like your dad or mom you can write it and send it to them as a message and also send your coin to someone who you trust after you have passed the agent checkpoints or getting to another country the person can send you your coin and you can also go through the message you send to who you trust and get your seed phrase to be able to have access to your wallet without any stress.

I am having trouble seeing what advantage you have in regards to sending your seed to someone else, including your seeming presumption that there would be any secure way to send such message to someone else, just like phillipma's encoded message that he was describing from earlier?  There could be complicated ways to send seedphrases or passwords, and perhaps you are able to get access to funds, but then if anyone ever figures out or sees such system in the future (maybe past messages that you sent that are figured out in the future), then if you had already moved your coins to new addresses, then that might not be a problem to have some temporary vulnerabilities that are not very likely to get exploited, as long as you don't overly complicated your system too much that you cannot recall how to put all the pieces back together. 

I do like the idea of keeping some form of back up recovery at country A while traveling to country B in the event that somehow your system fails in regards to getting to country B, and even I am not assuming traveling just on a trip but wanting to take your whole life savings with you, yet if you have your back up recovery in Country A, and once you make it to your country B destination, you might have to figure out how to destroy your back up recovery in country A so that no one comes in contact with it.. unless again you are transferring to a new wallet.. .which sometimes may be prudent to create new wallets and transfer, even though frequently I have considered both vulnerabilities in creating new wallets and then transferring coins, which could be a bit cumbersome to carry out.

One of the issues that I had considered with the hidden passphrase is that if your device gets confiscated and security is able to get your seed off of it, yet if there is a bit of time, you can move the coins prior to their breaking into it, if you are not detained, yet if you are detained then they have more time to break into your device... various forms of encryption and/or secure elements might be helpful in those regards to the extent that some of us  are sufficiently comfortable with the employment of such systems.. or even needing to learn about such encryption systems.

[LoyceV]

I do like the idea of keeping some form of back up recovery at country A while traveling to country B in the event that somehow your system fails in regards to getting to country B, and even I am not assuming traveling just on a trip but wanting to take your whole life savings with you, yet if you have your back up recovery in Country A, and once you make it to your country B destination, you might have to figure out how to destroy your back up recovery in country A

I'd say you need to have an encrypted backup at a safe (and trusted) location anyway. If your house burns down followed by a flood, you don't want to lose your Bitcoin. So when traveling to another country, you shouldn't carry your only copy.

[LoyceV]

no stickers with BTC logo on your laptop

Not a bad idea. With this sticker, you can mislead anyone:

I was wrong. It turns out this doesn't work:

(image source)

[apogio]

I was wrong. It turns out this doesn't work:

(image source)

Haha.

What if it did actually work?

What if the guy also had a laptop with bitcoin and they did the whole drug stuff to mislead the authorities from the real satan (aka bitcoin) ?

[theunionjack]

I think in the best technical way to get through without the agents being able to detect that you have a single satoshi. The most logical would be to memorize the seeds but relying on memory would not leave me 100% at ease. Is there another feasible, safe way?

I'd put on a rubbish USB with a "vault" program & password. Load documents of random stuff maybe resume & whatever else you've got maybe some photos. Straight in a laptop bag in the side pocket with chargers, another small hardive & pen. Could possibly hide the vault on the drive if you wanted to. Put it through as carry on. No one is going to blink an eye. Could also put USB inside a deodorant stick then in your toiletries bag but that's getting extreme.

[satscraper]

I have already shared the way I use more than often at my flying . Alternative to this may be  Ironkey vault privacy dongle ^{(FIPS 197,  XTS-AES 256-bit encrypted)}which encrypts your secret. Last time I used mine and may say that customs pay no attention to this stuff ^{(should they focus on it  they would not get access to its internals)}.  

[LoyceV]

(should they focus on it  they would not get access to its internals)

If they have the device and you, you may be forced to share it depending on the law of the country. Some countries have gone mad already:

Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 contains the relevant power.

If your phone has been seized, or in circumstances where they have the power to inspect it, the police can give you notice that they require you to provide the PIN or “encryption key” to allow them access. The same applies to other devices such as computers.
~
If you do not comply with a properly given notice, you can be prosecuted. If you know the information required and refuse to provide it, you can be sentenced to a maximum of 2 years imprisonment or 5 years imprisonment for an offence involving national security or child indecency.

Good luck proving you forgot the key.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

What freakin' country even cares about you crossing their borders and having access to BTC? Just how would it be different than you having credit cards? Either way gives you the ability to access or use currency without carrying physical currency.

Most if not all countries only care about how much fiat you are carrying, not how much money you have access to. eg, in the US you are only required to declare it if you are carrying over $10k in cash. If you are stopped by CBP and are asked about how much money you are carrying, yes you should give them an accurate number and if it is a substantial amount they may ask to verify it but if under $10k you are NOT required to declare it before entry.

[LoyceV]

Just how would it be different than you having credit cards?

Customs would argue you can't use a credit card anonymously.

Most if not all countries only care about how much fiat you are carrying, not how much money you have access to. eg, in the US you are only required to declare it if you are carrying over $10k in cash.

It's not only cash, if the value is for instance in gold you'll still need to declare it.